Sunset Rosalie's side of Twilight
by Floretta
Summary: The events of Twilight through the eyes of Rosalie Hale.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. First Sight

My face. Reflected in the glasses of a boy I don't know. It was rather disappointing. I looked so..sharp. And cold. A cruel beauty. The girl everyone hates but wants to be so badly. I start to feel rather sad. If only they knew how gladly I would trade places with them. But, I must not dwell upon these thoughts as Edward is bound to be making his rounds about our minds, So I must focus on something else, if he has not already seen.

Oh, my lovely mouth. Thank heavens for lipstick, My pale face and red lips look very striking. Alice should invest in some pale pink. It would look very becoming on her. So adorable and pixie-like. Aaa, me. Such a beauty. No other girl can compare! What was it? Purer then any gem, more sublime then any flower - A perfect girl. Yes, that is me. Look no further.

I don't think he is paying attention to me any more. Him and Alice are having their mind conversations. Which are really very clever. If Alice wanted she could be quite the ingenuous thinker. Not that I am ungrateful to have a shopping partner as daring as her. Ah, my dear Alice, stay with me. You are one of the brightest points of becoming a Vampire. Her and Edward must be discussing Jasper, who hasn't hunted lately. He is trying to build up his endurance. I glance over at him. Poor thing, what must it be like to struggle with that hunger? A girl walks by, her hands in her hair, the heater blows her scent in our direction. I smell the sweetness, feel the venom in my mouth. I swallow it down. I have no desire for this blood. I feel no malice towards this girl. Edward kicks Jasper underneath the table, and I feel so sorry for him. Not just for the thirst that I have never felt, but for Edward's kick. Not that it would hurt Jasper,far from it. We all know Edward can and does read our thoughts, but, it is awful to know that he was certainly listening, especially as Jaspers thoughts must have been very...hungry.

"Sorry" Jasper mutters, looking down.

It's the confederate in thirst for death. Now THAT I have felt. Alice leans over and whispers "You weren't going to do anything, I could see that."

Liar,liar, pants on fire.

Edward grimaces, confirming my suspicions. "It helps if you think of them as people" Alice suggests, her voice so fast it is like a hum. She tells Jasper of what little she knows about the girl. Jasper just turns and looks out the window. I silently feel this is best. Let him get over it, talk himself out of it. Let his mind escape from thoughts of the girl. Alice senses this too, she gets up taking her pointless food over to the trash. Edward looks at Jasper, then at Alice. I wonder what he is thinking. It's not fair. He gets to read our minds and yet, we don't get to read his. His head swivels around. Someone must have thought his name. I turn my head too, though more carefully then Edward. He is looking over at where the boring popular humans were. They had a new new girl. What's her name? The Police chiefs daughter. Swan..... something Swan. A pretty last name. I wondered why she was brought here. I wonder if it is anything scandalous that I should try to coax Esme and Carlisle to find out. She's nothing special. Brown hair, pale skin, brown eyes. She looks rather bored and unhappy. Well, I would be unhappy too if I looked like her. I laugh softly, more out of disgust then mirth. Shallow. I can't believe I thought that. The generic mean snob. That's me. Still though, why does she dress like that? she looks homeless. And has she heard of this invention called "Make-up?" No? How about "Accessories"? Edward's voice breaks my inane mental banter.

"Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen family" He says to Emmett. Emmet must have responded in his mind, which irks me. Why can't the rest of us join in the conversation?

Edward answers to whatever Emmet thought. "Rather unimaginative, actually. Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I'm a little disappointed." he pauses and then he seems to be concentrating. I tear apart a piece of lettuce from my unused salad. All of a sudden, Edward's brow furrows. He blinks and turns his head towards the table where Jessica sat yammering away to the new girl, who is staring at us. Noticing Edward looking at her, she blushes and looks away. What could be bothering Edward so much? Did she think Vampire? The bell rang, we all stood up, grabbing our food trays. As the others went over to the trash can, Edward stayed seated, apparently unaware that lunch was over.

"Shall we?"I said, interrupting his focus. He looked away from whats-her-name and stands. His attention to her unsettles me and I glance over at her. Her face is so pale, I can see her veins. She might want to get some foundation to cover them.... Emmett speaks, " So,is the new one afraid of us yet?" Edward shrugs. Not the most informative way to assure us, but, he would tell us if there was any danger.

I head off to Trig, wondering if I can bully my family into watching To Die For with me. Probably not, as they can make any actors performance seem flat without much effort. Nicole Kidman was supposed to be really good in it though.. Maybe I could get Alice to watch with me, we can paint our toenails that pretty opal color....

I was glad to be outside. As much as I enjoyed the ability to learn as much as I wanted, about whatever I wanted. High school was not the most fun place ever. I met up with Emmett at his history class and, holding hands, walked to the car. Alice and Jasper were already there and Emmett instantly tried to get Jasper to promise to give him a rematch when we got home, but, he wasn't in the mood. Emmett wasn't taking no for an answer, however. I slipped into the car and sat behind the passenger seat. I poked my head next to Alice's, I hoped she wasn't to worried about Jasper to be in the mood for a girls movie night. "Alice, do you want to watch To Die For tonight? I'm going to and I was thinking we could paint our toenails that pretty opal color." Before Alice could answer however Edward had arrived at the car and had slammed the driver side door. He was breathing heavily, like he had surfaced after a long time underwater.

"Edward?!" Alice asked, alarmed. Emmett was momentarily distracted from Jasper's refusal. "What the hell happened to you?" Instead of answering, he jerked the car into reverse and screeched out of the parking lot. We were easily going at 70 mph before we turned the corner. I looked toward Alice, as did everyone else. She shrugged, as if to say "Don't look at me" She paused then turned sharply toward Edward. "Your leaving?!" We all stared at Edward now. "Am I?" He said through clenched teeth. I saw Alice's face tighten "Oh." was all she said. Another pause."Oh." She said again. "Stop" Edward groaned. "Sorry" she said, her eyes wide. She was quiet and then said softly " I'll miss you, no matter how short your gone. " I looked at Emmett, to see if he had any idea on what was going on. From his face I could tell he was as apprehensive as me. We were almost at the turnoff to our house when Alice said "Drop us here, you should tell Carlisle yourself." The car jerked too\ a stop. I got out, I would make Alice explain when he left. Alice touched Edward's shoulder. "You'll do the right thing." Not a vision. An order. "She's Charlie Swan's only family. It would kill him too."

"Yes" He sounded uncertain

Alice pulled out of the car and joined us on the road, we were all silent as we watched the car speed away. As soon as the car was out of sight we all pounced upon Alice. "What happened?" We were all desperate to know what had caused Edward to leave. She looked worried, but said in a moderately calm voice "The new girl. Bella Swan." (Bella. Thats her name) Apparently her blood is.. especially appealing to him." I gave her a withering look. "Well, perhaps the most appealing blood he has ever smelled. I'm amazed he managed to get through an hour. He will either leave town and go stay with Tanya and her family or....or.." She faltered "Or he will go to the Swans home and...." She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. And all of a sudden I was furious. Mad at Bella Swan for driving my brother away. Just who did she think she was anyway? That hideous dresser, that frankenstein. "Rosalie!" Alice said loudly, she sounded shocked and I wondered what future she had seen. I hadn't even gotten far enough to think of what I would DO to her. Emmett put his arm around my shoulders in a comforting gesture, saying, "Come on Alice, she wasn't actually going to do anything." Alice sighed and nodded. I sighed too. I didn't think she would want to watch To Die For with me after the events of the afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Open book

The week without Edward was strange. Alice often spaced out (we knew she was checking on him) Carlisle and Esme seemed rather sad, but as Carlisle said, it was better then the alternative and he felt Edward had made the right choice. Jasper and Emmett seemed strangely quieter then normal. I made a point to glare at Bella Swan whenever I saw her - I don't think she noticed. All the time we would ask Alice if he was coming back yet, and she always shook her head. I caught Bella looking at us numerous times, but whenever one of us noticed her she would look away, her cheeks flushed. I hated that pooling of blood. It wasn't that I wanted Edward back home, but that I could not believe a human had been able to beat him. I privately enjoyed the luxury of being able to think whatever, without having to worry if Edward was listening in. The freedom! But, it felt mean to think this way, I didn't want Edward to stay away forever, per say. But a break was welcome.

I painted my toenails carefully, the opal color shimmering in the lamplight. All of a sudden, Alice jumped up suddenly. Startled I knocked over the bottle of nail polish. "He's coming back!" Alice nearly sang, handing me a roll of paper towels, she looked relieved, which I took to mean meant that he wasn't coming back to kill Bella. Alice skipped off happily to tell Emmett, Jasper and Esme, who were in the dining room, I heard Esme gasp happily and Jasper say "About time!" Emmett let out a cheerful whoop. I wanted to join this happiness, wanted to be a part of the joy. I walked through the doorway to them, and I saw Esme walking toward the phone, presumably to call Carlisle. But, I felt like I was intruding on something. I backed out and, picking up the bottle of nail polish, continued to paint in short, even strokes. At about 11:30 we heard a car pull into the driveway and after a minute, Edward's tall frame was standing in the door. Esme ran over to hug him, Carlisle and the boys stayed back, grinning, Alice skipped over happily and pecked him on both cheeks "I'm glad your back!" He walked over to Carlisle, who patted him on the back. Again, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here."Hi Edward." I said, quietly. I realized I had sounded resentful. And then I realized I had to disguise my thoughts now that Edward was back.

Ah, Edward is back. I hate to admit it but, I am very glad to see him again. Oh, would you look at my beautiful skin!

"It's going to be okay" I heard Alice say behind me, as I walked next to Emmett toward our table. This was so irritating. We looked so suspicious, like bodyguards. Of course, unlike normal bodyguards, we were guarding the attacker, not the victim.

"She's not here yet, but the way she's going to come in....she won't be downwind if we sit in our regular spot.

"Of course we'll sit in our normal spot" Edward answered, sounding throughly annoyed. "Stop it Alice, your getting on my nerves. I'll be absolutely fine."

Call me cruel, but I think it would be very funny if Alice coughed. She didn't, which - comedy aside- I suppose is a good thing. "Hmm.. I think your right" She said, she sounded surprised which made me laugh inside my head.

"Of course I am" Edward answered as we sat down. And he calls me arrogant. A smile touched my lips.

" Anything new? " Jasper asked Edward

"Nothing. She......must not have said anything."

I raised my eyebrows.

Emmett chuckled "Maybe your not as scary as you think you are.I bet I could have frightened him better then that"

Edward rolled his eyes.

This was Emmett. It was so good to have him back again. I touched his leg with my foot underneath the table and smiled at him. He smiled back at me, that big sunny smile, before saying to Edward: " Wonder why..."he trailed off.

"We've been over that, I don't know"

I felt a small flutter of contempt - stupid human.

"She's coming in," Alice murmured "Try to look human" This was directed at Edward. I rolled my eyes. Such a big deal over pretty much nothing.

"Human, you say?" Emmett grinned. He held up his fist and revealed the snowball he'd saved in his palm. It was a lumpy block of ice. He looked at Jasper, but threw it at Alice, who didn't even blink when it came whizzing toward her. She flicked it away with a graceful flutter of her fingers. The ice whipped across the cafeteria and shattered against the wall.

"Very human, Emmett" I said scathingly, hiding my smile behind my hand, "Why don't you punch through the wall while your at it?"

"It would look more impressive if you did it, baby" He replied. I pretended to be offended, as though he meant it because I looked weak, and he faked a stricken look and it all worked out the way I planned - with him pulling me into his arms and kissing me on the cheek. I wanted to kiss him back, but didn't want to attract to much attention. So I just ran my finger gently over his face before pulling away. I looked at Edward, who was very tense, paying an extreme amount of attention to the Swan girl. He breathed rather shallowly, as though prepared for her scent to reach him at any moment. I glanced over at her, watching her start, apparently just realizing where she was. I narrowed my eyes. "Nothing" I heard her say. "I'll just get a soda today"

I watched her pay for the Dr. Pepper. Her skin is so pale, she looks sickly. She went and sat down with her friends at their normal table. I turned away from the girl in a pilling t-shirt and sweatpants to stare at my nails. I pulled a file out of my bag and smoothed out the ridges. Alice elbowed Edward and his jaw stiffened. "Ease up, Edward" Emmett said, "Honestly. So you kill one human. That's hardly the end of the world."

"You would know." Edward muttered. I quieted. I hated the image of Emmett sucking a humans blood. It was so unlike him. He was happy, content with his immortality in a way I never could be, but that I caught sometimes when I was with him. I knew that the real reason I didn't like Emmett's sucking a humans blood was that the human had been female. I despised to think of Emmett being hungry for another girl, hungry in any form. Emmett's carefree laughter broke my gloomy mood, like always. "You've got to learn to get over things. Like I do. Eternity is a long time to wallow in guilt." This cheered me up even more then his laughter, I knew it was not a big deal to him, but, hearing him brush it off like nothing felt good. Just then Alice threw a smaller piece of ice she had been hiding into Emmett's unsuspecting face. He looked surprised, then he grinned, saying "You asked for it!" He shook his hair, showering us with ice that melted in the warmth of the room, showering me and Alice with slush.

"Ew!" I complained half annoyed, half amused. Alice laughed and so did everyone else. Alice shielded us with her food tray and I saw Edward's face turn from smiling to frustrated as he turned back to Bella Swan. I rolled my eyes again. As the rest of the students filed out of the cafeteria, Me and the rest if my family stayed seated however, looking at Edward.

"I.....Think it's okay." Alice said. But she sounded hesitant. "Your mind is set. I think you'll make it through the hour"

"Why push it Edward? " Jasper said, enjoying that for once, he was the one in control "Go home. Take it slow"

"Whats the big deal?" Emmett said "Either he will or won't kill her. Might as well get it over with, either way."

I felt like it was my turn to say something. "I don't want to move yet. I don't want to start over, We're almost out of high school, Emmett. Finally!" I gave Edward pleading eyes. I really didn't want to move.

"No, Rose.I think he really will be okay." Alice said "It's...firming up. I'm ninety three precent sure that nothing bad will happen if he goes to class." She looked at Edward curiously.

"Go to class" He said finally. He stood up, and I watched him go, irritated. I stood up and marched off to class.

I sat through Trig, fuming. Stupid Edward. Being so weak, making a big deal out of nothing, letting a human consume his life so completely. Stupid Bella, for being so.. appetizing. Thinking this only increased my anger with Edward, which only increased my anger with Bella. I wouldn't be surprised if my perfect skin got frown lines. I sighed, dully answering the questions on the paper. When the class was over I looked in the hall for Emmett, but he must have headed straight for his Spanish class with Edward. I doubted he had killed her. There would have been an uproar. Then again, Edward was very fast... I walked toward the direction of my English class, wishing it was by the Science lab, so I could look and see if there was a mass of dead bodies.

After school was over, I caught up with Emmett, I looked at him expectantly and he shook his head, saying "Nope, nothing. Well, nothing really." Seeing the look on my face he elaborated. "Towards the end Alice totally ditched, he lost a bunch of resolve and was this close to snapping!"

"Her neck."

He looked at me rather strangely. "Her neck? What about it?"

"You said snapping and then I said her neck - oh, nevermind." His face lit up all of a sudden and he laughed. "I get it!" He stopped smiling. " I think I made it harder for him."

"How?"

"Oh, I was talking to him and I remembered that time, when I bit that lady.... And, you know, Edward could see it in his head and he had to leave class." I stopped walking and he turned around. "That was my fault." I said quietly. "Huh? No it wasn't. I thought it."

"No, you biting her... If I hadn't sent you on that errand it never would have happened."

"What? aw, Rose, no it wasn't. It was just one of those things." He said cheerfully, he turned toward the car, as though the matter was settled. I threw my arms around his waist and walked behind him to the car. He chuckled softly and patted my hand. Edward was inside when we arrived, as were Alice and Jasper. Alice was talking to Edward and when we slid into the back seat, they didn't bother to explain anything. They all knew that Emmett would have filled me in.


	3. Chapter 3

3. Phenomenon

Edward went hunting again that night with Carlisle. The thought of being so bloated with blood made my stomach churn. It reminded me of a vague memory of my human life, when my parents had left the house and I wanted to do something rebellious, something that they would never let me do. So I had taken out a large tin of blondies and eaten every single one. And I wanted to throw them all up but didn't want my parents to think I was ill . But at least I liked blondies. Imagining how it would feel to be utterly stuffed with something less then delicious made me want to hurl. I wasn't sure if this made me respect Edward more. Esme felt proud, that he doing everything to try and lessen his thirst, but he had even said that he didn't think it would make much difference. Still though, maybe being with Carlisle would help him. I imagined him talking to him, probably working out the best choice..as they bloated themselves silly on blood. I retched.

"Are you feeling okay?" Esme asked, worried. Vampires weren't supposed to get sick. I nodded, "Fine" I muttered. I picked up the T.V. remote and began flipping through channels.

As I watched a man show a woman how this special kind of Tupperware would turn out beautiful cakes, Edward and Carlisle walked in. Edward brushed past me toward the stairs, and I went off to take a shower. My family thought this was pointless. But, it repulsed me to think of all the grime that could accumulate after a few decades. I stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Alice was there, she looked slightly upset. But, when she saw me she said "You cannot wear that to school."

"Why?" I asked, I wasn't wearing anything super outlandish. For answer, she pointed out the window - there was ice on the road, ice on the trees, ice coating the windows in frost.

"So?" I asked, not seeing her point.

"So, most humans don't wear short-shorts when the road is an ice-rink"

"Oh." I went up to my room to change out of the offending shorts. I held them up, they weren't that short were they? I shrugged and changed into pants.

In the car to school, Alice seemed just as anxious as ever. Jasper didn't question it. I wanted to, but, I was a little distracted. Emmett's eyes looked so bright today. Ornery old Edward seemed disgusted by our adoration. I didn't mind particularly, so long as he didn't start whining about the Swan girl again. When the car pulled up in the parking lot, we all got out and started to head for our classes. Except for Edward. Alice stayed with him. I stopped, confused and angry. What was he doing? Waiting for her? Isabella Swan. Yes, that was exactly what he was doing. Here came her mammoth truck now, and yes, he was staring at her. He looked so hungry.. And not just the for-blood kind. Isabella was completely oblivious to the predator staring at her. She stepped carefully out of the car, her feet sliding around on the ice. Edward smiled. I felt slightly frightened. All of a sudden, I saw Alice gasp, Edward turned toward her, what was he going to do? Then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I turned and watched wordlessly as a van skidded on the ice, plowing straight toward Isabella Swan. Then something worse happened. Edward launched himself across the parking lot, grabbing Bella in the process, pulling her out of harms way. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. A crowd of people surged forward, terrified that their precious Bella had been injured. I was rooted to the spot, slowly, I felt my knees buckle and I nearly sank to the ground. I steadied myself, then joined the throng. Edward was talking to her and I didn't bother listening. Great Edward. Why couldn't you have just killed her and gotten it over with? I turned and walked off to class. As though I hadn't noticed the uproar in the parking lot.

Emmett was waiting outside for me after my last class, but I was too mad to talk. I walked ahead of him, hating myself more every second. He saw my face and left me alone. I wanted to be able to compose myself before I saw Edward again. In the car, Alice kept looking worriedly at Jasper, whose face was set, but I could practically feel the anger in the air around him as he plotted. I almost smiled, Jasper could be so deliciously evil sometimes. I looked out the window, and there was Edward, walking with Emmett, who appeared to have forgiven him. I hated to disagree with Emmett, but I hated Edward more at the moment. Seeing him shook my carefully collected composure. I glared, calling him every vile name I could think of. I didn't care if he heard. The entire way home I mentally screaming at him. I could tell he was trying to ignore me, but it still bothered him.

Carlisle and Esme were already there, seated next to each other. Edward sat down next to Carlisle. I sat across from him. I glared at him fiercely . Alice wandered in last, looking spaced out. She sat next to Esme and through the corner of my eye saw Jasper's face glance at her, as though debating about whether or not to join her. It only lasted for an instant however. He stayed behind my chair. I looked across the table at Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Edward and Emmett. Then at my side of the table, where only Jasper stayed. The minority. It was Good vs. Evil. No guesses for which side I was on. I didn't bother deluding myself that I was the good one here. I might not be good, but I felt I was right.

Edward took a breath and began. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless and I take full responsibility for my hasty action."

"What do you mean "take full responsibility"? Are you going to fix it?" I snarled

"Not the way you mean." Edward's voice was smooth and quiet. "I'm willing to leave now, if that will make things better."

What good would that do? Had he falled down and smacked that rock-hard skull against the sidewalk?

"No, no, Edward" Esme said, more for the sake of keeping the family together then for the fact that Edward's suggestion was ridiculous.

"It's just a few years" Edward said, patting her hand.

"Esme's right though." Emmett said "You can't go anywhere now. That would be the opposite of helpful"

Thank you Emmett.

"Alice will catch anything major."

I imagined what Alice would see. A witch hunt? People storming our house at night? The police? The news? I wanted to go outside and scream and scream. But, since I wanted to scream at Edward, I stayed where I was.

Carlisle also disagreed with Edward's opinion. "I think Emmett is right, Edward. The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear."

Damn straight she will.

"She won't say anything"

"You don't know her mind." Carlisle reminded him.

"I know this much. Alice, back me up" Edward demanded.

Alice looked weary " I can't see what happens if we just ignore this." She glanced at me and Jasper. She knew we were so not going to ignore this. I couldn't stand it anymore. I slapped my hand down on the table. "We can't allow the human a chance to say anything. Carlisle you must see that" I fought to keep my voice even. "Even if we decide to disappear, it's not safe to leave stories behind us. We live so differently from the rest of our kind - you know there are those who would love an excuse to point fingers. We have to be more careful then anyone else!"

"We've left rumors behind us before." Edward reminded me.

"Just rumors and suspicions, Edward. Not eyewitnesses and evidence!" I spat back.

"Evidence!" Edward scoffed. But I saw Jasper nod. I was grateful for the support.

"Rose-" Carlisle began

"Let me finish, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be a big production. The girl hit her head today. So maybe that injury turned out to be more serious then it looked." I shrugged, trying to seem casual. Not as though I wanted to kill Bella for any other reason besides secrecy. Which was nearly 100% true. Nearly. " Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, that would make it Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind."

"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are" Edward snarled at me. It cut through me like a knife, like an icy wind. My legs trembled and I dug my fingers into the wood of the table. I hissed at Edward. I couldn't let him win after he had said that.

"Edward please." Carlisle said sternly. Then he turned to me."Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt you were owed your men you killed had wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. The Swan girl is innocent."

"It's not personal Carlisle," I somehow managed to choke through my teeth. "It's to protect us all." I prayed my voice had not broke. Carlisle mulled over the problem. I wished he would hurry up. Finally,finally, he nodded. I was almost surprised. I hadn't thought he would agree with me.

"I know you mean well, Rosalie, but...I'd very much rather our family be worth protecting." Edward looked slightly smug. "The occasional.... accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are. " We. As if Carlisle had ever had such a lapse. "To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk she presents, whether she speaks her suspicions or not, is nothing compared to the greater risk. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of what we are."

Edward could hardly hide his smile. I for one, wished Carlisle hadn't said it that way. He sounded so heroic and brave. And when he was speaking of Bella.. Murder was such a harsh word.. I scowled. "It's just being responsible." I said, though I didn't really sound that confident.

"It's being callous." Carlisle corrected gently " Every life is precious."

All of a sudden I felt tired. I sighed heavily. Emmett patted my shoulder, as though he was terribly sorry I wouldn't be able to kill her, because what else could he do? "It'll be fine Rose." He said encouragingly. I wanted to smile at him, even though it would probably be a very half-hearted one, but I couldn't be happy until I knew we weren't going to move. As though it was Carlisle, not Edward who could read thoughts, Carlisle said "The question, is whether we should move on?"

"No," I moaned. "We just got settled. I don't want to start on my sophomore year at high school again!"

"You could keep your present ag,e of course.:

"And have to move that much sooner?" I shot back. He shrugged. "I like it here! There's so little sun, we get to be almost normal." Carlisle looked at me, almost pityingly. "Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. We can wait and see if it becomes necessary. Edward seems certain of the Swan girl's silence."

I snorted. As if. But, I gave up. I knew it was pointless. Carlisle was so good, he often made me feel like a huge jerk. Then I remembered Jasper. He hadn't said a single word the whole time. He was decided. "Jasper" Edward seemed to be sharing my train of thought. Jasper looked back at Edward, his face set.

"She won't pay for my mistake. I won't allow that."

"So she benefits from it, then? She should have died today Edward. I would only set that right."

"I will not allow it." Edward repeated, stressing every word.

Jasper seemed taken aback, but he said " I won't let Alice live in danger, even a slight danger. You don't feel about anyone the way I feel about her, Edward, and you haven't lived through what I lived through whether you've seen my memories or not. You don't understand."

That was really sweet what he said about Alice. Those too barely ever voice their love for each other. I waited for Edward to answer. It was like a soap opera. I hoped they wouldn't really fight.

"I'm not disputing that, Jasper. But I'm telling you know, I won't let you hurt Isabella Swan."

They both looked carefully at each other.

"Jazz" Alice said, interrupting their staring contest. He looked at Edward for a moment longer then turned toward her "Don't bother telling me that you can protect yourself, Alice.I already know that. I've still got to-"

"That's not what I'm going to say. " She said, cutting him off. " I was going to ask you for a favor." Edward gasped loudly. I looked at him warily, wondering what had made him gasp like that.

"I know you love me. Thanks." Alice said "But, I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill Bella. First of all, Edward is serious and I don't want you two fighting. Secondly, she's my friend. At least, she's going to be." My eyes widened in horror. Precious Alice? Friends with... Bella Swan? I knew it was terribly selfish of me, but even if it wasn't Bella I wouldn't want to share Alice. She was pretty much my only girl friend. The closest thing I had to one anyway. By the look on Edward's face, I could tell that the vision was rock solid. I wondered when the... I sulkily imagined me and Alice AND Bella painting our nails, watching chick flicks, going shopping. Bella shopping, the thought was laughable. She looked like she wore other peoples hand-me-downs that had previously been handed down. Then with a pang I imagined an even worse future - just Alice and Bella laughing, doing each other's hair, going swimming when it was cloudy. No me. It was almost physically painful.

"I'm going to love her someday, Jazz. I'll be very put out if you don't let her be."

Love. Another pang.

I knew that Jasper had already lost. He would never go against Alice's wishes.

"Ah," Alice said, sighing in a satisfied way " See? Bella's not going to say anything. There's nothing to worry about."

Hearing Alice say her name, like they were already good friends almost made me wail.

"Alice" Edward said, his voice cracked with anxiety " What...does this...?"

"I told you there was a change coming. I don't know, Edward. " Alice was quiet. "What, Alice? What are you hiding?"

Oh god, there was more? Emmett grumbled. Like me, he often got annoyed when Alice and Edward had one-sided conversations. But, now, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know.

Alice shook her head stubbornly.

"Is it about the girl? Is it about Bella?" All of a sudden Edward was quiet. "NO!" He shouted unexpectedly. He stood, tipping his chair over in the ? Had he killed her when Alice and her (and me?) were having a sleepover or something?

"Edward!" Carlisle said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's solidifying." Alice whispered "Every minute your more decided. There's really only two ways left for her. It's one or the other."

Two ways for what? What is happening.

"No" Edward said, bracing himself against the table.

"Would someone please let the rest of us in on the mystery?" Emmett asked impatiently. Edward ignored him. "I have to leave" he said.

"Edward we've already been over that" Emmett said loudly. " That's the best way to start the girl talking. Besides, if you take off, we won't know for sure if she's talking or not. You have to stay and deal with this."

"I don't see you going anywhere Edward." Alice said. Indecision flickered in Edward's eyes. "I don't hear that." he said. I wished someone would explain what on earth was going on. "Why are you doing this to me?"Edward muttered

Alice, explain what is going on right this second or so help me I will -

"Love her, too?" Edward whispered, incredulous.

It hit me like a sledgehammer. Oh sweet Jesus. No, no no! This could not happen. Edward looked just as stricken as I felt.

"No," he shook his head, horrified " I don't have to follow that course. I'll leave. I will change the future."

"You can try." Alice said, rather skeptically.

"Oh come on!!" Emmett bellowed.

"Pay attention!" I snapped at him, unable to contain myself any longer."Alice sees him falling for a human! How classically Edward." I gagged. That could only end one of two ways.

"What!?" Emmett said, startled. Then he started laughing. "Is thats what's been going on? Tough break ,Edward." He put a hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Fall for a human?"Esme repeated, stunned. "For the girl he saved today? Fall in love with her?"

No Esme, fall into a cliff with her.

"What do you see, Alice? Exactly." Jasper demanded

"It all depends on whether he is strong enough or not." Alice glared at Edward. "Which would really irritate me, Edward, not to mention what it would do to you" She faced the rest of us " Or she will be one of us someday." I gasped. Then choked on the air I had inhaled. What? Spend eternity with her?

"Thats not going to happen!" Edward shouted. "Either one!"I tried to console myself, what if she was a lovely girl? Who really loved clothes and just...chose to dress that way because...Charlie Swan didn't have enough money..? Okay, so maybe me and Alice could help her with the clothes. And she might look prettier as a vampire. Her skin would be easier to look at if it was supposed to be that way.

"It all depends" Alice said. "He may be just strong enough not to kill her- but it will be close. It will take an amazing amount of control. Maybe even more then Carlisle has. He may be just strong enough.. The only thing he is not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That's a lost cause."

I stared, horrified in the direction of Alice and Edward.

After what felt like forever, Carlisle sighed. "Well this...complicates things."

"I'll say" Emmett said, barely disguising the laughter in his voice.

"I suppose the plans will stay the same, though." Carlisle said thoughtfully. "We'll stay, and watch. Obviously no one will....hurt the girl."

"No" Jasper said, quietly. "I can agree to that. If Alice sees only two ways-"

"NO! Edward said, distraught. "NO!" He stalked out of the room. Esme reached to touch his arm but, he ignored her.

My breathing was rather shaky. After a moment. I stood too, and walked slowly out of the room. As soon as I knew I was out of sight, I ran to my room and shut the door. I felt slightly dazed, and I felt sympathy for Alice. What must it be like, to know what would happen nearly all the time? I wasn't sure if I would like it. Then again, would I wish that I had seen this coming if Alice and Bella were suddenly friends? I hugged my sides. I watched the rain fall outside my window as I mulled over the events of the day, each one stabbing me in a different place. I heard a light, delicate steps pass outside my room. Alice. I opened the door, which didn't surprise her, she had probably known.

"Alice" I said. "Hm?" Alice said, absentmindedly.

Alice, I love you. You are my sister and even if you are friends with Bella, we'll still be friends, right?

"We aren't moving are we? For a while?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Edward..Will he be okay?"

"Oh, I think he will get over it."

We were both quiet. Each wrapped in our own thoughts. Finally I said, "Alice?"

"What?"

"I.." I paused. ".....That shirt really goes well with your hair."

"Thanks." She smiled at me, then moved off toward Jaspers room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 5. Invitations

School made me jumpy now. At lunch, I would always accompany Alice to throw away her food, stayed with her when she chose what to get. Occasionally, I would leave her alone, so as not to give her any ideas, but I would watch her like a hawk. If I saw Bella Swan get up from her table while Alice was also up, my stomach would twist, afraid that even the smallest things would make them be friends. I didn't worry about Edward. He was trying even harder then I was to change the future, probably because his reason was not so much for his benefit, but for someone else's, while mine was utterly selfish. As selfless as Edward was being, it sure didn't make him any less annoying. He was forever obsessing over her. _What was__ she thinking? Whe__re was she? Blah,blah,blah. _I half-wished they would fall in love and be done with it.What annoyed me the most about Bella was that she was a better person then I was. As much as I tried to get around that fact, it was still there. She put up with Mike Newton or whoever she was talking to, feigning interest whereas I would probably tell them flat out to shut up. She took others feelings into account much more then I did. Which bothered me, I was pretty, but I was selfish. Sometimes, to make myself feel better, I would tell myself that inside, she was awful. But I didn't believe my own lies. Why would Edward fall in love with her or Alice be friends with her, if that were true? They wouldn't do something like that. I knew them to well.

"Bella is going to stare at Edward in a few seconds, look normal."

I twisted a lock of hair around my finger, looking bored - because I was. This was stupid, why was it still such a huge deal? Every single human in school looked at us from time to time. Edward always seemed pleased when this happened. Alice sighed, looking at Edward.

"Stay out of it, Alice" Edward muttered "It's not going to happen."

I pursed my lips, I knew what Alice wanted.

"It makes plenty of sense to me." Edward said. Alice looked irritated.

I distracted myself by talking to Emmett. "Em, do you know how people get mistletoe?" He looked at me, amused. "They take shotguns and shoot it down from the tops of trees. Like a bird or something."

He smiled and gave himself an over-exaggeratted southern accent "I'm gonna go and shoot down some mistletoe, I'll probably be back around dinner-time."

"I just thought it was strange. I mean, mistletoe is this symbol of love now. But, people use guns to harvest it. And people associate guns with war. Do you think they do that on purpose? To try and show that guns can be used for things other then killing?"

He chuckled and said, "I doubt it. I bet it's just easier then harvesting it normally." He was quiet and then he said "I wonder if they bring dogs to find the stuff after they shoot it." I saw the image in my head, and it made me laugh. I kissed Emmett on the nose. "I love you" I said. "I love you, too, Rosie." With just those words I felt happier, like, maybe I _could_ be friends with Bella. Even if I wasn't able to get along with her, I would still have Emmett, I would never be alone as long as I had him. I practically skipped to my next class.

I caught up with Alice after her last class, which was something I didn't do very often. It was pretty out of the way for me. She looked slightly surprised to see me, though that might have been my strange happiness. I had been rather sullen lately. Maybe it wasn't just Emmett, maybe my body just wouldn't let me be sad for that long, it wasn't healthy. I _did_ feel better then I had in days. I saw Emmett standing at the edge of the parking lot talking to Jasper, which was weird, he usually would be with Edward. Alice seemed to have thought this too, because we both sped up. I looked at Emmett questioningly, he shrugged. "Edward told me to wait here for you guys." "Well, we're all here now." Jasper said. we walked toward where Edward had the car. I couldn't help but notice that Bella's car was behind his. When we got to the car, he was laughing. If anyone had been surprised about my sudden happiness it was nothing compared to our shock now. He was rocking with silent laughter. Emmett raised his eyebrows and Edward shook his head. Bella revved her engine impatiently. "Let's go! Stop being an idiot. If you can." Yeesh. What was so funny? It continued for the whole drive home, every so often he would chuckle. It was very irritating, so by the time Alice spoke, I was already pretty much at I-going-to-slap-the-next-person-who-annoys-me mode.

"So do I get to talk to Bella now?" Alice said suddenly. I narrowed my eyes.

"No." Edward snapped.

"Not fair! What am I waiting for?"

"I haven't decided anything, Alice."

"Whatever, Edward."

"What's the point in getting to know her if I'm just going to kill her?" Edward said gloomily.

Alice sighed. "You have a point."

The car swerved violently and then Edward nearly crashed into the garage. He threw himself out of the car. "Enjoy your run." I couldn't help adding.

I wanted my happy mood to return. So I asked Alice to go shopping with me. She seemed to be concerned about Edward but, to my relief, she agreed.

"Do you think Esme would like these earrings?" She asked me, holding up a pair of a glittering pair of emerald ones.

"Well, don't you know?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure if I'm going to get them. Also, maybe I should leave them and let Carlisle give it to her.."

"I think they would look pretty on her if thats what you mean." I said as I tried on a pair of sunglasses - pretty useless in Forks, but I liked the way they looked. I held them up for inspection. She raised her eyebrows. "In Forks?"

"Yeah, I know, but we'll have to move someday.." I looked at them again and put them down. We didn't end up buying too much. 3 pairs of shoes, some jeans between us. When we got home, Alice put up my hair in all these crazy bun/braid things and we watched about 25 episodes of one of those shows about people in college and then a show on pollution that Alice wanted to see.

"Look at all that garbage. We should totally do something about it."

"Like what? If we took out all that trash from the ocean people would notice, plus, where would we put it?"

Alice sighed. Then she said, "What happened to Edward?" I glanced at a clock. It was nearly five in the morning. "Holy crap." "Where do you think he is? We would have heard him come back." "Your the one with special powers, you tell me." We both felt kinda worried, so we turned off the T.V. and went to our rooms. I got dressed, so did my siblings. Carlisle left for work, still no Edward. I could tell Esme was anxious by the way she kept glancing over her shoulder at the door. We all just waited around, wondering where the hell he was until it was time to go to school. "You guys better go." Esme said, concernedly "I'll be here if he comes back."  
We nodded and climbed into Edward's car, which felt weird since he wasn't there. As we made our way to school, Alice said "He's here. No, Rose, don't look. He's behind those trees. Don't look I said!" She grabbed my arm.

"Sorry." I forced my head forward. "He better tell us where he was. Esme was so worried.."

"Alice would have known if anything bad had happened." Jasper said, as he forced me to calm down. I tried to fight it, but nope. Edward can tell us later..Oh damn you, Jasper..Ah well, he is just trying to help.

"Ohmigod." Alice said, her voice excited. "He's talking to Bella!" I did turn at that. All the way, my entire body facing that way and I gaped. He was talking with her, laughing. She looked mad though, I wondered why. Most girls in school would be thrilled to have Edward Cullen talk to them. Then I wondered why he was talking to her. Where had he been last night? This time Emmett grabbed my arm and dragged me to Science.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 6. Blood Type

"He is what?!" I said

"I just saw him sitting by himself today." Alice calmly said.

My hands curled into fists. Alice saw and looked pointedly at Jasper.

"Don't you dare!" I all but screamed at him. Some students glanced at me, looking concerned. He shrugged, but didn't do anything. We walked into the cafeteria and, sure enough, Edward sat by himself at a table. "Rose..." Emmett said, cautiously. I stalked past Edward without looking at him - idiot. I furiously sat down and watched the others pass by, each probably egging him on in their minds. Those traitors! Even Jasper was on the enemy side. I wondered why such war-like thoughts had entered my head. I didn't speak to my family when they sat down and focused my energy on watching Edward through narrowed eyes. Bella entered the cafeteria with the rest of the popular crowd. She looked over at us and her face fell. She sat down next to Jessica Stanley, after buying just a drink. It seemed odd, was she anorexic? It would make sense, I mused. She was very skinny considering her height. Maybe her mother was a model...no wonder Renee Swan wouldn't want to stay in Forks, if that was the case.

"Ohmygod." Me and Alice said at the same time, though her voice was excited and mine was more shocked horror, as we watched Edward beckon toward Bella Swan. She looked confused, and her Jessica looked at her pointedly. She stood up and walked over, tripping over nothing on the way. Was her shoelace untied or something? Nope.

I shot daggers at the pair of them. Edward you are a complete idiot. Didn't he have any idea- didn't he know what could.. I turned my back disgustedly. I folded my arms and stared at my plate of nachos. The others tried to engage me in conversation but I ignored them. The bell rang and I was one of the first ones out of the cafeteria. It was happening. Edward was caving. It wouldn't matter how careful I was with Alice now.. My pencil snapped in half. I cursed under my breath, not about the pencil, but about the whole damn thing. After school was out Emmett tried to talk to me again. I shook him off, but I felt bad so I went back and walked next to him. I didn't say anything but, I hoped he understood that I wasn't mad at him, just Edward. And Bella. Mainly Bella.


	6. Chapter 6

{Authors Note : I am very sorry for the delay, the holidays were very busy and also, my keyboard broke, which made it not only impossible to write, but even to log into my account. XP }

Chapter 6. Melody

The rain drizzled on our heads as we stepped outside, Alice and Jasper were already there. As soon as she saw I was outside, Alice dashed to me. She looked excited and happy, so I braced myself for bad news. "Rosalie! Guess what!?"

"What?" I said dully, hoping she would catch my tone. She didn't, or maybe she just chose to ignore it.

"I saw Bella and Edward!"

"Doing what?"

"I don't know. I just know that they were together."

We walked toward Edward's car, Alice nearly skipping. Me forcing my legs to move at a normal pace.

I was a few steps behind everyone when we got to the car, but I still saw Edward start when Emmett opened the door. Emmet had surprised Edward? Impossible. However, as soon as I was next to the car the smell hit me. It was borderline sickeningly sweet. Like the most rancid of perfumes. Her. I glowered at Edward. _She had been in the car?_ Alice pranced over to Edward and held her hand out. They had probably had some kind of bet.

"I only saw that I was. You'll have to tell me the whys."

"This doesn't mean-"

"I know, I know. I can wait. It won't be long."

I gritted my teeth and swore some more at Edward with more force.

Edward dropped a..car key into Alice's waiting hand. Whose was it..I watched,my mouth a perfect "O" shape as she walked over to Bella's truck and got in. I thought she was out sick, I had heard some students talking about it. Oh. So that's why she had been in Edwards car. He had driven her home. I stormed angrily over to my car, the rain beating down harder. I started the engine and Jasper and Emmett rushed over not wanting to miss their ride. My tires squealed as I backed out of the parking lot, trying to keep my fingers from crushing the steering wheel. My clothes got completely soaked just going from the car to the house.

"Rosalie, me and Jasper are going to play chess, okay?" Emmett called after me as I climbed the stairs to go change. "Fine. You don't have to ask my permission, you know." I said, which came out sounding much, much meaner then I had intended. "Sorry." I muttered. " I didn't mean for it to sound that way." He was up the stairs in a second, arms around my shoulders. "Everything okay?" He asked "You seem kinda..touchy today." "Yeah..Sorry about that." I said "It's just.. I really love these shoes and now they are wrecked." Which was kinda true. The shoes were wrecked. "My fault for wearing them in Forks, right?" I said, slipping neatly out from under his arms. "I'm going to go change. Have fun playing chess." I said, hoping I sounded like I meant it and wasn't just trying to get rid of him. He kissed me on the cheek and then headed downstairs. Even though Emmett is very social, he understands that I need time alone sometimes.

I walked into my room, feeling my normally excellent posture sag. I slumped into a chair and untied my shoes from my feet, allowing my mind to think about Bella and Edward. Why did it bother me so much? Half of us had fallen in love with humans, myself included, all though Emmett had been a vampire very quickly. Was I envious of her humanity? Well, yes I was. But, I was envious of all the girls at Forks high's humanity. I thought about Bella Swan. Clumsy, average Bella Swan. I blow dried my hair and studied myself carefully in the mirror. I was so much prettier then her,so why did Edward. I choked. Was that what was bothering me? That Edward liked that plain human and not me? But, I didn't like Edward that way. Sometimes I didn't like him at all. But, I had been surprised when he had shown no interest in me. Okay. I had rushed to the closest full-length mirror and wondered what was wrong with me. But after a while I had gotten over that. Emmett helped with that of course. But now, I knew that this was my problem. When I had been human, that was my point in life. To be beautiful. To attract a good husband. That's it. So, if I failed at doing that, what was my point? I had consoled myself that if Edward didn't think I was good enough - no one was. I had been wrong. What made it even worse was that she wasn't pretty. She was so..normal. I knew she was simply a better person then I was. Nicer, kinder, less self-absorbed. In fact, we were almost complete opposites. She was better then me in a way that I couldn't be. I _did_ care about how I looked. I _wa_s vain. I _was_ mean and snobbish. I picked up a vase that held flowers and crushed the glass into powder.  
Feeling utterly disgusted with myself, in addition to depressed and angry, I made my way down the stairs and sprawled on the couch and turned on the television with the remote. I heard chess pieces clack and knew that it would be nice of me to go and watch their game, but I was content to lie here like a slug and listlessly flip through channels. The door opened and Alice and Edward entered. I wondered if maybe I should go out and work on my car. It might make me feel better. Alice went over to her computer and I heard the dings of the monitor and I could tell she was working on our current project - my wardrobe. But, I wasn't in the mood to be all girly with Alice, even though I should probably savor these last few weeks or days or whatever that I had without having to share her. An unexpected noise entered the quiet din. Piano keys. It had been a while since Edward had played.. He began to play a new song that I hadn't heard yet. Edward was composing again? My brow furrowed, his infatuation with Her had taken over his life so completely that he hadn't touched the piano in weeks. Rage consumed me for the briefest of moments. The music stopped. I heard Edward laugh in shock and amusement.  
Oh God, I had slipped. Dammit! I lifted myself up and glared at him. He had clapped his hand over his mouth, shaking with laughter. Esme was downstairs in a flash. "Don't stop, Edward" Esme encouraged, sounding strained. I got up and stalked toward the garage. If you say anything I will hunt you like a dog. I thought, praying he heard it. I heard him laugh again. "What's wrong,Rose?" Emmett asked and I really wanted to go and curl up in his lap but I didn't want to stay in there anymore.I slid under my BMW wishing I could be buried alive. I heard Emmett ask Edward what was up with me but he didn't answer. I listened to him play and burned with shame. Esme asked about Edwards song, sounding so pleased that he was playing again. I moved my hands around underneath the car to appear busy but, didn't actually do anything. I couldn't believe I had slipped. I was such an idiot. Alice asked Edward what was wrong with me, and he refused. If I wasn't so mad at him, I would be grateful. But I knew he was laughing at me. I sighed, I would be laughing at myself too. At least he was leaving soon. As if on cue, Edward asked Emmett if he was ready to go. Emmett spoke what I was thinking "I thought we were leaving in the morning?"

"We're coming back by midnight on Saturday. I guess it's up to you when you want to leave."

"Okay, fine. Let me say goodbye to Rose first."

"Sure."

I prayed that Emmett wouldn't ask what was wrong with me.I crawled out from beneath the car and met him at the door to the garage. He hugged me. "I'll see you so-""Emmett, do you think I'm nice?" I said, cutting him off. He looked at me, kinda surprised. "Nice" was a word that rarely frequented my lips, unless I was talking about clothes. "Well" He began.."You're nice looking!" He laughed. I knew that he was kidding, for the most part, but the words stung. He looked at my face, I looked back, hurt. "That's it?" I said. Trying to sound like I was going along with the the words seemed to lose their energy. Emmett cocked his head to the side and examined me. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" He said, not sounding mad, just like he really didn't want to say the wrong thing. I shook my head "Didn't think so." He kissed me on the forehead, "I think you're nice." He said after a moment. "And you are nice to me, unless you're upset, like now." I kissed him full on the mouth and everything seemed normal for about a minute. "I better go. Edward wants to get out and back as soon as possible" He rolled his eyes. I smiled. "See you in a few days, don't come back all filthy, please."

I closed my eyes and listened to him laugh as he walked away.


End file.
